With kids constantly on the move, Rochester Memorial School’s annual Fitness Day is definitely a better title than the traditional field day. Kids start out the day with a two-mile walk around the school and don’t stop moving until the end of the day, with gymnastics, hula-hoops, sports and CrossFit stations.

Physical education teacher Kevin Woodward organizes the event and said his advice to kids is: “Stay moving…and enjoy the time we have with each other.”

Fitness Day is always a community effort, and this year was no different. National Honors Society students from Old Rochester Regional High School manned many of the stations and played with kids and a host of parents staffed the event. There were also activities with Whaling City CrossFit and Bay State Gymnastics brought its mobile program.

Jessica Stephens, who has a second grader at RMS and is a manager with Bay State, thought their program would be a great added feature to the day, and a good way for her to volunteer.

“It’s not a typical field and I’m not a typical mom,” said Stephens.

With Bay State, the kids were encouraged to set goals and work together, starting small and gradually working their way up to more challenging moves.

Fitness Day supported an active lifestyle for kids in more ways than one.

The school often holds a fundraiser in conjunction with the day. This year Woodward said the PTA spearheaded a fundraiser for a 40-foot rock wall to be placed in the gym. The project has been on the school’s wishlist for sometime.

By asking for donations, kids brought in about one-third of the $10,000 needed, said Woodward.

Overall, the day was a success.

“It’s a great day of momentum,” said Principal Derek Medeiros. “I’m just so proud that we made this a priority.”

And as second grader Blake Gagne said, “It's a really fund day. I love to do it because all you get to do is fun stuff.”